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Very Tough Classical Music Trivia Quiz

Not really music itself, but instruments, composers and some other trivial stuff in this grabbag of questions.

A multiple-choice quiz by svr4m. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
svr4m

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
7,531

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1335

Last 3 plays: Guest 75 (4/10), Guest 85 (6/10), Guest 120 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which composer was the first to use a typewriter in the orchestra? Hint

John Remington

George Antheil

John Cage

George Fredric Haendel

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Question 2 of 10

2. The poem 'Pelleas et Melisande' by Maurice Maeterlinck was put into music by many composers. Who didn't? Hint

Arnold Schoenberg

Claude Debussy

Jean Sibelius

Cesar Franck

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Question 3 of 10

3. "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen", is a cycle of songs composed by? Hint

Ludwig van Beethoven

Alfred Schnittke

Carl Maria von Weber

Gustav Mahler

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Question 4 of 10

4. Fetis, Aubert, Ysaye and Lekeu were composers of the same nationality. Which? Hint

Luxembourg

French

Belgian

Swiss

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Question 5 of 10

5. Stravinsky wrote a lot. One of the following was certainly not one of his works. Which? Hint

Niagara Symphony

Dumbarton Oaks

Ebony Concerto

Oedipus Rex

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which is the odd one out, in this list of instruments? (think classification) Hint

Bugle

Flute

Trombone

Trumpet

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who would we call the 'father of the nocturnes'? Hint

Berlioz

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Frederic Chopin

Claude Debussy

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which one is the odd one out? Hint

Bassoon

English horn (cor anglais)

Oboe

Clarinet

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Question 9 of 10

9. The piece 4'33' is (in) famous because? Hint

It is actually 4'33' long

It has never been recorded on CD

It consists of silence only

It features a stopwatch as an instrument

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which German composer did not escape to the USA before or during World War Two? Hint

Kurt Weill

Arnold Schoenberg

Karl Amadeus Hartmann

Erich Korngold

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 18 2024 : Guest 75: 4/10
Dec 15 2024 : Guest 85: 6/10
Dec 09 2024 : Guest 120: 6/10
Dec 07 2024 : Guest 174: 7/10
Dec 02 2024 : Guest 65: 10/10
Dec 01 2024 : Guest 74: 5/10
Nov 29 2024 : Guest 82: 4/10
Nov 25 2024 : Guest 184: 10/10
Nov 25 2024 : Guest 82: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which composer was the first to use a typewriter in the orchestra?

Answer: George Antheil

Antheil was an American living in Paris in the early 20th century. He experimented with other noise producing machines as well. Eric Satie was one of his better known cronies.

2. The poem 'Pelleas et Melisande' by Maurice Maeterlinck was put into music by many composers. Who didn't?

Answer: Cesar Franck

Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize for literature, mainly for his work 'La vie des fourmies' (Life of the Ants). Originating from Ghent (Belgium) he stayed in touch with French artistic circles.

3. "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen", is a cycle of songs composed by?

Answer: Gustav Mahler

"Songs of a Sailor" is a melancholy cycle dealing with all the typical Big Questions of Life, Longing, Hope and Death.

4. Fetis, Aubert, Ysaye and Lekeu were composers of the same nationality. Which?

Answer: Belgian

During the latter half of the 19th Century, music in Paris was almost dominated by composers and musicians from Belgium. Fetis was head of the Paris opera. Aubert has written an opera that kindled the revolutionary fire of the Belgian nation, Ysaye was a virtuoso violinist who taught Queen Elisabeth (of Belgium!). Guillaume Lekeu is probably the least well known. Wrote mainly chamber music.

5. Stravinsky wrote a lot. One of the following was certainly not one of his works. Which?

Answer: Niagara Symphony

Oedipus Rex was in Latin, and The Wedding was in Russian, originally. Old Igor certainly had a way with languages!

6. Which is the odd one out, in this list of instruments? (think classification)

Answer: Flute

Even if they are all made of metal, the flute is considered to be one of the 'woodwind' instruments. Mainly because in the baroque orchestra, the traverso flute was indeed a wooden instrument.

7. Who would we call the 'father of the nocturnes'?

Answer: Frederic Chopin

Mozart wrote 'eine kleine Nachtmusik', but that was a divertimento, not a nocturne. The others did similar things (Crumb even wrote 'Night Music', inspired by Mozart and Chopin...

8. Which one is the odd one out?

Answer: Clarinet

Only the clarinet has a single reed, the others have a double reed.

9. The piece 4'33' is (in) famous because?

Answer: It consists of silence only

The piece 4'33' was written by John Cage and consist of three movements. The pianist stays silent and the audience is supposed to listen to the ambient sounds.

10. Which German composer did not escape to the USA before or during World War Two?

Answer: Karl Amadeus Hartmann

Hartmann was not considered a Jew by the nazis. He went into 'Innere Emigration' or inner emingration and stayed silent for over ten years as a protest against the Nazi terror. Schoenberg actually wasn't German, but still. Weill and Korngold both wrote music for Broadway and Hollywood.

Source: Author svr4m

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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